


The Silver Lining of What We Have

by Morbid1Curiosity



Category: RWBY
Genre: F/F, Female Friendship, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Romance, Teen Romance, Whiterose, Yuri
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-11
Updated: 2018-12-11
Packaged: 2019-09-16 04:08:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,804
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16946718
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Morbid1Curiosity/pseuds/Morbid1Curiosity
Summary: With little to no breathing room on their journey so far, it was only natural for worries to pile up. And only once they got to Argus city, could Ruby and Weiss talk about all the worries that plagued their minds.





	The Silver Lining of What We Have

**Author's Note:**

> Author's Note:
> 
> Just a quick note to those that might read this "later". This supposedly takes place between episode 7 and episode 8 of Volume 6.

„You're not in bed yet huh?" Ruby asked as she peeked inside the room before entering. She wanted to make sure if the other girl was already asleep or not. And just as her words implied, she wasn't asleep. She was sitting on a small chair, her blue eyes glancing at the view on the other side of the window, the nightlife of the Argus city.

"How very perceptive of you, Ruby." The other girl, Weiss, commented without even looking at her, and as soon as the redhead wanted to grimace at the fact she had encountered the Schnee in a bad mood, she followed up on her words. "I'm worried."

She was bad at dealing with people, not that she disliked people just… Everything was fine as long as everything was fine, basically. But when things got rough? She never was sure what to say or what to do. Still, she had to do something, right? "So… I didn't know you liked kids." Ruby offered as she forced herself to sound as cheery as possible.

"Why? Because I'm the Ice Queen?" Weiss retorted. A perfect example of her handling the situation in a poor fashion.

"Weiss, that's not..." Before she could finish, she was interrupted by her teammate.

"I was joking, Ruby." The older girl peeled her eyes away from the window and focused her gaze on the redhead with a soft smile blooming on her lips, Ruby couldn't help but smile back at her.

"Well, you and Yang seemed to really like that little fella." Ruby renewed the topic as she approached the girl, sitting behind her on the bed.

"It's nice to be a part of a family, big or small, as long as you care for one another." Weiss's eyes once more focused on outside life, although her gaze ignored what she saw before her. No, her sight was focused on something far, far away. Something that while she had no right to see, was right in front of her at that moment. "I like to think that a happy, smiling child is the ultimate sign of happiness. Since they don't care for wealth, how big your house is or… Anything of that sort. They just want to be a part of a happy, loving family." She shook her head and closed her eyes for a moment, trying to get rid of the image of her own house, of Atlas, from her mind.

"I'm not sure, I think I was that kid back home. Before all of this started." Ruby let out a little chuckle. "I guess things were easier, you just took things for granted as long as they wouldn't end up as some sort of immediate or short-term problems, everything was fine." She glanced to the side as some of the memories of her home flooded her mind.

"Do you think any of us will survive to have their own families?" Weiss's sudden question and the tone of it felt like a slap on the cheek to Ruby. Just seconds before focusing on something happy and positive, for the mood to shift in such a drastic manner.

But maybe for the first time in… In a long time, she knew how to react. Later when thinking back to this moment she'll most likely think about it as her growing and becoming more mature, but perhaps it's just her being a good friend. A good teammate. A good partner. She stood up and placed both of her hands on the other girl's shoulder, not sure if she could see the reflection of her expression, she still smiled at her. "Would you want to, one day, have a happy little family?"

The Schnee froze at that, her eyes growing a bit wider as her mind started to seek an answer to such a question. And just like always, it wasn't a simple yes or no for her. It was a complex math of different possibilities, different scenarios, different moves that every piece on the chessboard could make. Her mind settled for something, as she finally could offer an answer. "It depends." She began, placing one of her hands on top of Ruby's that was still lingering on her shoulder. "With who."

The redhead smiled at that, moving her hand to intertwine her fingers with that of the other girl. She didn't have time to say anything, as Weiss continued a moment after. "And what world would we end up in."

Ruby nodded at that, understanding the sentiment behind Weiss's words. She leaned down and embraced the girl, placing her chin on the other girl's shoulder. "I think that's the best motivation for giving our best."

Weiss closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling of being embraced by the younger girl as she placed her hands on top of the arms that were secured around her waist. "But will it yield any fruit? Us trying our hardest."

"I think that we already know that its better to try than to just give up," Ruby said with a smile, it felt oddly… Fascinating and weird to be the one leading a conversation with Weiss, usually the other girl pulling her along. Still, that only means that Weiss was really on the edge.

"We do? How so, Ruby?" She tilted her head to look at the other girl's face, only to see a playful smile.

"We got reunited, didn't we?" She replied with a grin which just further confused Weiss.

With a soft sigh, she shook her head. "I'm not in the mood for games, Ruby."

"While initially, we didn't know that it would end up like this, all of us did some sort of effort. Neither of us just sat there and decided for life to take its course." At that, the younger girl rubbed her cheek against Weiss's. "We all tried our hardest to accomplish what we thought is the right thing to do and in the end? In the end, we got reunited, all of us. Team RWBY got together because neither of us remained passive."

Perhaps it was the smile or the positive vibe behind Ruby's words and voice. Maybe all of them combined, whatever it was Weiss couldn't help but to laugh at the other girl's explanation. "You goof, that's such a stretch but… But I believe you. I want to believe you since we did end up together again. You and me..." She paused and closed her eyes, a smile still lingering on her lips. "And Blake and Yang."

"Feeling better now?" Ruby inquired after a moment of silence.

"I do, but I'm afraid it would take a miracle to take away my worries." The Schnee admitted with yet another sigh.

"Do you want to talk about them? Just talking might make you feel better." She offered with yet another smile.

"It's the only thing I can do with them anyway," Weiss replied dryly which made the other girl's smile melt away.

"I'm just trying to help, Weiss. You know you shouldn't just lock that all away, it won't go away, it'll eat you from the inside like..." Ruby stopped mid-sentence and bit the inside of her cheek.

"Like Qrow?" Weiss asked in a soft voice as she reached to gently brush her fingers against the younger girl's cheek. The only answer she received was a soft nod. A simple glance made Weiss forget about her current issues. Salem, her return to Atlas, all the things that happened between the train wreck they made themselves and arriving at Argus. All of that meant nothing once she saw sadness on Ruby's face. She took her hand and pulled her closer, leading the girl around the chair, Ruby, a bit surprised, followed not sure what her partner meant by such a gesture. And only once it was too late, did she realize what Weiss was attempting to do, and successfully so, as she was seated on the older girl's lap.

"Do you want to talk about it? Just talking might make you feel better." Weiss smiled, repeating exactly what Ruby told her not a moment ago. It did help her smile a little but said smile lasted for a moment before the redhead started considering what exactly was on her mind.

"I'm worried about uncle Qrow." She explained and while Weiss already knew that much, she simply nodded and pulled the girl into a hug which Ruby returned eagerly.

"It's because of his drinking?" The Schnee asked, receiving a nod from the other girl. At that, she remained silent, careful as to not say anything that could upset her friend any further. She moved her hand against her back in a calming manner. "I don't think that alcohol changes people, not directly." She began, closing her own eyes as more memories washed over her. But this time she had to be strong, not for herself, but for Ruby. "I think people start drinking to escape their problems. And I think it helps, but it's like a big snowball that just gets bigger and bigger. It's the issue that changes people. Maybe, I'm not sure and I'd rather not check this myself. Neither would I like to observe it the second time and this time with your uncle." She moved her face to rub at the other girl's neck with her nose. "Your uncle cares for both you and Yang." At the mention of that, she felt the girl embrace her with a bit more strength. "It just seems like he has a lot of issues he's trying to escape." The Schnee paused, mulling over the words she wanted to say next. "I think the best idea is to help him face those issues."

Weiss knew it wasn't that easy, but it was a start, right? At least that much she believed in. Ruby was lucky since she could help Qrow. It wouldn't be that easy with her… She closed her eyes and shook her head, it wasn't important. Not anymore. Her thoughts got interrupted as she felt the younger girl move, opening her own eyes she noticed a pair of silver orbs looking back at her.

"Thank you," Ruby spoke in a soft, quiet voice, a tiny smile on her lips. "I know it won't be easy, especially with everything else going on. But as long as we're all together, we'll get through this, I'm sure."

This… Optimism of her team leader was almost the miracle she needed for her worries to disappear. She almost believed they could stop Salem, that they could somehow save the world or whatever it is they were trying to do. That her going back to Atlas would not end up in a disaster. Almost.

Ruby had to see it through her eyes, that it still lingered somewhere behind those blue pools. Her fears and worries. "What about you? What's troubling you?"

What do you think? Was perhaps the first thing Weiss wanted to say, but just seeing Ruby's soft smile and calm face made her throw that idea as soon as it appeared inside her head. She closed her eyes and let out a soft sigh. "I was worried about us going back to Atlas. I don't know what will happen once I'm there. Deep down I know that I'm still afraid of my father, in some way at least. He was an authority in my life for so long that it'll take some time before I can break those shackles." She paused, feeling her throat tighten, making it hard to talk for a split moment. "And I won't be able to break them if I won't face him head-on. But I'm afraid."

Ruby simply nodded, her hands slowly moved up the other girl's arms and she very gently brushed her fingers into the girl's hair, now loose as the girl made herself ready to go to bed. "There's more, right?" Ruby asked once she was sure Weiss ended telling her of at least one thing that was on her mind.

"Then we discovered that we're having a grimm bait on us together with the fact that… That Salem is immortal. That she might want to destroy the world. And we have no chances of defeating her." And yet as she spoke about those issues, Weiss seemed to relax, enjoying the feeling of the other girl's fingers moving along her hair. While not as obsessed with her hair as Yang seemed to be, at least in the past, she still wouldn't let anyone to just touch it without her permission. Permission that was granted to Ruby and no one else so far. And maybe that was partially why it felt too nice, it was something they shared. Something that only Ruby could do. Something special.

Ruby's smiled grew as she noticed the other girl relaxing, her fingers moved along her hair, careful as to not pull at it or otherwise distract the girl from the topic at hand. Yet as it seemed that Weiss was over, Ruby saw something else behind her blue eyes. Maybe it was just her imagining things, maybe it was some amazing secret power of her own silver eyes. But there was something else troubling the girl, she was sure about it.

"Weiss? There's… There's something else, isn't it?" As she didn't know how to handle this, she decided to do it in her own, lacking finesse way, and just ask about it directly. The other girl looked at her surprised, wanting to say something yet as soon as she opened her mouth, no words came out. Instead, her expression shifted to that of guilt, like that of a child caught with his hand inside the cookie jar. Ruby was an expert at that expression, she would know.

"There is." The Schnee finally admitted, her eyes looking to the side as if she was afraid to look directly at the leader of her team.

This made Ruby even more worried. So far Weiss didn't have any issues with talking about her worries. Her returning to Atlas, the Salem thing. Yet there was something that made her like this and Ruby wasn't sure what. Was there some sort of secret? The weight of this sudden worry was unbearable for the young girl and she had to know. "What is it?" She whispered her question, barely audible but sure that the other one would hear it.

"I'm..." Weiss began but wasn't sure how to say it. It wasn't anything complicated, nor was it anything hard, yet right now? Right now it seemed like the most difficult thing ever for her. "I'm worried about you." She finally managed to answer.

"Huh?" Ruby blinked, not sure if she understood or even heard her correctly.

The audible confusion in Ruby's voice managed to fuel Weiss's frustration, thus making it more easy to speak her mind, as she opened her eyes and placed both of her hands on the other girl's cheeks, looking deep into her silver eyes. "I'm worried about you. I'm worried that they'll… They'll hurt you just because of your gift. I'm worried they'll try to kill you. I'm worried I..." Her throat once again grew tight as her vision became blurry, but she would finish what she started. "I'm worried I won't be able to do anything to stop them." She unleashed it, she opened the cage where she pushed her fears. Her biggest fear. A sob escaped her chest as she closed her eyes, tears streaking down her cheeks as another wave of sobs shook her body.

Ruby's confusion turned into shock as she saw Weiss… Crying. She was crying and any deeper analysis of her words wasn't important right now. What mattered right now was to comfort her, to make her feel better. With that thought in mind, she embraced the girl once more and pulled her into a hug. She felt the Schnee embrace her in return, almost clinging to her, but Ruby understood why. They stayed like that for… Ruby wasn't sure for how long. A minute? Maybe five? Ten? Eternity? It didn't matter. She would be there for Weiss as long as she was needed.

The room now filled with soft and quiet sobs of Weiss. Normally it would make her feel weak, it would make her feel disappointed at herself. Or maybe this wasn't the norm anymore? Maybe it was her past self? She didn't know and she didn't want to think about that. What was important was that she felt… Lighter. She felt like something was taken off her chest. As if she could really breathe after such a long time.

Once it all left her system their embrace lingered for additional moments, before Weiss decided that however, this moment made her happy, all things had to end. She leaned away, just enough to look at Ruby's face. "I apologize." She sniffed lightly, even now feeling how sticky her face had to be from the tears.

"Don't." The redhead offered a simple reply as she smiled at her, reaching out to gently rub away the moist streaks on her face. "Weiss? Do you promise you'll be with me till all of this concludes in… In one way or another?"

Her question made the Schnee blink, a bit surprised if not by the question then by the fact that Ruby required confirmation of such a thing. "Of course, till the end. Until the end and one day more if necessary." She nodded.

"Then I trust you. I trust that you and everyone else will keep me safe. And as for myself? I promise I'll try my hardest to not let them hurt or kill me. To not let them hurt or kill anyone." As she said it, she leaned her head forward till their foreheads connected. Another moment of silence lingered between them as they looked each other in the eyes.

Still, Weiss knew they should head to bed, with a sigh she closed her eyes and moved away once again. "I should go wash my face and both of us should go to bed."

"Ehehe… S-Speaking of which you're… You're fine with sharing it with me? I mean, when we were splitting the rooms between everyone you didn't say anything and… I could have ended up with Yang or someone else if you didn't want to share it with me." The younger girl rubbed her neck as she looked everywhere but at her partner.

And as they discussed such difficulties, all their worries, and fears. As they both tried to face them and keep each other motivated. As all that just occurred, Weiss couldn't believe that this girl in front of her was having such difficulties discussing sharing a bed with her. It just felt so… Silly. Silly enough that Weiss couldn't keep herself from letting out a soft laughter. The laughter that would confuse Ruby and as guilty as it made the Schnee feel over that fact, she couldn't stop it.

"H-Hey, what's so funny? I mean it! I don't want you to feel uncomfortable and we all should get a proper rest!" Trying to hide her anxiousness behind a mask of annoyance, Ruby pouted and crossed her arms.

"You dolt, I didn't say anything because I was fine with it. I'd end up with someone anyway, while this house is spacious it still couldn't hold enough rooms so that each of our group could sleep in separate rooms. We're lucky we got a room with an actual bed." Perhaps with all her laughter, she felt silly enough to allow herself to act upon it, as she nudged the other girl's cheek with her nose. "Now can I go wash my face?"

"Mmh You can be so mean sometimes, you know that?" Ruby, now feeling a tiny bit embarrassed, still tried to act annoyed to cover herself up. She stood up, releasing Weiss and letting her do the same.

And as the girl prepared herself to leave the room, she smiled at the redhead. "It's because I care." With that simple excuse, she left the room, leaving Ruby alone.

Her silver eyes lingered on the closed door for a moment, before she allowed herself to smile. "I know you do." She whispered to no one in particular.

oooOOOooo

Later that night both girls were laying in bed, neither of them could really sleep, but just as they shared their insomnia, they also shared a fear of bothering the other one just in case she would sleep. Weiss didn't want to think that her inability to fall asleep was because she was so used to having her own bed in this or that form. Perhaps that even was the truth, as she couldn't stop her mind from spinning, random thoughts appearing only to be replaced with something else. Happy, angry or sad thoughts, they all mixed together and with all her willpower, with all her ability to focus, for once she couldn't control them.

She took a deep breath and rolled to the other side, deciding to open her eyes only to see a familiar pair of silver orbs staring back at her. This didn't surprise her, for some reason she knew that Ruby had similar issues with falling asleep. She looked over her calm face. Nights in any city were never truly dark and all it took was for your eyes to get used to it. Especially this close. Her hair seemed even darker as her complexion seemed even paler. The only thing that didn't change was her eyes. Her silver eyes. It was also the fact that there was no red, or not as much red surrounding her, which on itself allowed one to look at Ruby in a slightly different light. Although she couldn't help but to smile at the thought of a much younger Ruby trying to sleep in a cape or convincing her dad or Yang that it was important she would sleep with a cape on. It just seemed like something she would do.

And as they laid there in silence, each of them just glancing at one another, a single thought emerged above all else, pierced itself through the chaos that currently was inside her mind. A thought that surprised her by quite a lot, yet not as much as the fact that without thinking twice about it, she decided to share it with the other girl. "Ruby? Do you think we could share a kiss?"

"W-What?!" It was Ruby's reaction that made Weiss aware of what she just said. That this wasn't some sort of dream or that she didn't just think about saying those words. That this wasn't one of the endless possibilities that so often were woven inside her head when considering her next action.

"Nothing! It was nothing." She offered a panicked explanation as she turned around. "We should go to sleep." Weiss knew this wouldn't work, but what else could she say? What else could she do? There was nothing, the damage was done. How dumb of her.

"Weiss." She heard Ruby's voice. "Weiss!" There it was again. She felt the girl move closer. "Come on, Weiss, talk to me." Once again she chooses not to respond and to her horror, she felt the girl move so close that their bodies touched. "Weiss, please. I won't get mad. Just talk to me, don't you trust me?"

That was a low blow and what's worse? It worked. The Schnee took a deep breath before answering. "I do."

"Then turn around." As if hypnotized and directly controlled by her voice, Weiss couldn't do anything else but to obey it. As she turned around she met the same pair of silver orbs, yet this time there was worry behind them.

"Now what… What did you mean by that? By your words." Ruby asked quietly, her voice calm as she offered a gentle smile.

"I… I don't know. I just had a thought about what I said. That I wanted to kiss you." Weiss felt her cheeks grow hot, she was most likely blushing like crazy. It was always so easy for her to turn red, especially with her pale complexion.

"Oh..." Was the initial reaction from the younger girl, Weiss could see that she wasn't the only one blushing, the other girl having to deal with the same sensation that overcame her face. "Like a..."

Before Ruby could ask, assume something, Weiss interrupted her. "I don't know. I don't want to know. I just… There's all this inside my head and I want it to stop. I simply want to not think, even if for a moment. And as I wanted for that to happen, as I looked at your face I just… Thought I wanted to kiss you. But I don't know why, please don't ask me why or what it meant." Weiss closed her eyes, now too embarrassed to look at Ruby, but as she was ordered earlier to turn around, she couldn't just turn her back towards the redhead. Besides, it was her fault in the first place.

"Alright." She heard Ruby's voice. "But… I never did it so… I wouldn't be sure how to do it." That sentence alone made Weiss open her eyes, as she glanced at the younger girl, unsure of what she just heard or… Or what it implied. Oh, she knew what it implied, but was this really what she meant?

"Ruby?" She asked, hoping that the girl would clarify that to her.

"I… We can kiss. Just… I'm not sure how to do it." Ruby offered a nervous chuckle, her eyes wandering all around Weiss, anywhere but to look directly at her.

And for once Weiss wasn't sure what to say or think about it and while all those conflicting emotions and thoughts started to pile up in both her heart and mind, she decided to focus on the most important one. The most basic of them all. "I… Never did it either."

Both of them looked at each other and it didn't take long before they started to giggle, said giggling turning into laughter that both of them had to control to not be too loud, as they didn't want to wake anyone up with their silly antics.

Once they both calmed down it was Ruby that broke the silence. "I think Yang would say that we're being hopeless." While her laughter gone, the younger girl still had a big smile on her lips.

"I assume she would say something like that, yes. With plenty of teasing if she truly had the context of the entire situation." Weiss nodded. Still, she felt better, all the tension from before and even from her own sudden question was now gone. Permanently or just for the time being? She didn't know. But perhaps she could fall asleep now. Yet before she could propose that, Ruby spoke before her.

"Want to try?" She asked, now wearing a small, warm smile, unlike the big goofy grin from before.

Weiss decided to not question herself, nor anything else. She didn't want to think about it and it was her that started this. She offered a nod. "I do."

"So… How do we go about this?" Ruby asked if it had any romantic vibe, which, of course, it didn't have, Ruby's simple and practical question would kill it all. Luckily there was none since it was all platonic and between two friends, right?

"I… I don't know. We should hug and just touch our lips. I think." Weiss hated not knowing what to do. Or attempting to do something she had no idea about, not even in theory. Well, she did have some idea of it but there had to be more to this than just that.

"Alright," Ruby said and moved to hug Weiss, the older girl decided to not judge how eager her younger partner was to follow her instructions. As soon as she felt her arms around herself, for the second or maybe even third time today, she hugged the girl back. Now with their faces but inches away from one another, there was one last step.

"N-Now… Now our lips." Weiss whispered almost soundlessly, but from the nod that Ruby gave, the other had to hear her. Soon the already small distance between their lips started to shrink even further. Soon she could feel her warm breath and not a second later feel the soft lips against her own.

It was perhaps the least interesting of kisses, as their lips just brushed against one another, both girls keeping their eyes closed. But for them? For them, it was a valuable moment that they both would remember.

Soon, not letting go of one another, both girls fell asleep, their breathing synchronized as they enjoyed the comfort of each other's embrace.

**Author's Note:**

> I just wanted to write some whiterose fluff. If you think I portrayed the characters wrong or if you think they would act or think about stuff differently, its fine. They probably would. Still, I hope this was enjoyable on at least pure fluff level.


End file.
